Everybody knows the awkwardness and embarrassment that happens when you go in for a hug, or a handshake, or a high-five, and get it wrong. But have you ever hit somebody in the face while messing it up?

This is exactly what happened to unfortunate reporter Cat Greenleaf this week, but to make matters worse, she ended up slapping famous fashion designer Nicole Richie around the face while interviewing her, and knocking a rather expensive pair of sunglasses clean off her head!

Nicole RichieNicole Richie got slapped round the face after a misjudged high-five

Greenleaf was speaking to 35 year old designer Richie for ‘Talk Stoop’, and they were sitting on steps outside the front door of a townhouse talking about the latter’s new show for NBC, ‘Good News’, and the state of the weather when the hilariously shocking incident happened as she misjudged a high-five.

“I’m notoriously clumsy,” a mortified Cat said as she profusely apologised, to which a deadpan Nicole said: “I can see that out of my left eye, only.”

More: Nicole Richie won’t give any style advice to her sister Sofia as she becomes famous

Credit to Richie, she stayed professional and didn’t make things worse for her host as she understandably took a bit of time to recover from the outrageous faux-pas.

“What’s a fun notorious fact about you?” Greenleaf said trying to get things back on an even keel, but Richie couldn’t resist a humorous little tease.

“I’ve just been abused, like two seconds ago,” she quipped before Cat turned things round to ask about “scripted comedy”. Then, when she was asked about her favourite phrase, she replied “Remember when you punched me?”

Greenleaf said: “That's your phrase? Wow, no-one's holding a grudge or anything. I love you and I'm sorry!”

Thankfully, Richie showed there were no hard feelings by ending things with a hug. A properly timed one.

More: Nicole Richie says she “lives and breathes” designing